MLB Player News

Alvarez (hand) has gone 5-for-8 with a walk, three doubles, and a stolen base through the first two games of his rehab assignment with Double-A Corpus Christi.

The 28-year-old returned to game action this week for the first time since landing on the injured list in May, and he hit the ground running in his first two contests at Double-A. GM Dana Brown indicated that Alvarez could rejoin the big club this weekend in Baltimore, though he's more likely to be reinstated when the Astros return to Houston to face the Rockies on Monday.

Cruz (shoulder) is throwing from about 75 feet and is in the beginning stages of his throwing progression, MLB.com reports.

Cruz was placed on the injured list Aug. 3 with right shoulder tendinitis and, per manager Matt Quatraro, is still in the early stages of his rehab. While no firm return date has been set, the slow pace of his recovery suggests the 26-year-old is more likely to return sometime in September than by the end of August.

Basallo and the Orioles are finalizing an eight-year, $67 million contract extension Friday, which includes a club option for 2034, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

The 21-year-old is one of the top prospects in baseball and was called up for his MLB debut last weekend, and the Orioles wasted little time locking him in long term. Basallo has gone 4-for-14 with a double and five RBI in his first four big-league games after posting a .966 OPS with 23 homers in 76 contests for Triple-A Norfolk this year. The extension maxes out at $88.5 million if the option is exercised and all the escalators are achieved. With Adley Rutschman (oblique) landing on the injured list Thursday, Basallo is poised to operate as Baltimore's No. 1 catcher for the immediate future, though the rookie is also likely to see a lot of time at designated hitter.

Wells (elbow) made his fourth rehab start for Triple-A Norfolk on Thursday, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk in 5.2 innings. He struck out four.

Wells threw 85 pitches in his fifth rehab outing overall, and he's expected to make one more appearance at Triple-A before returning to the Orioles. The right-hander is in the final stages of his recovery from UCL surgery, and he should be ready to make his season debut with Baltimore either as a starter or bulk reliever at some point in early September. The latter role is more likely with Kyle Bradish (elbow) also close to activation.

Cruz (oblique) is slated to make a four-out minor-league rehab appearance Friday, and if that goes well, he could be activated from the injured list as soon as Monday, per MLB.com.

Cruz landed on the injured list in late June due to a left oblique strain. The veteran reliever kicked off a minor-league rehab stint Aug. 14 and has appeared in three games so far (two with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and one with Double-A Somerset), allowing four runs on five hits with a 4:1 K:BB over 2.1 innings. Though those numbers are poor, Cruz's most recent outing was strong -- he struck out the side and gave up only one hit over one scoreless frame Tuesday. Once activated off the IL, Cruz should be a candidate for high-leverage work, though he may be eased back given his lengthy absence. He also may be lower on the depth chart than when he last pitched, as New York added David Bednar and Camilo Doval to the bullpen at the trade deadline.

Zerpa (5-1) earned the win in Thursday's 6-4 victory over the Rangers. He allowed no hits or walks while striking out one over 1.2 innings.

The left-hander entered in relief of Michael Lorenzen with the bases loaded and one out in a tie game in the fifth inning Thursday and induced an inning-ending double play before tossing a perfect sixth frame. Zerpa has been on a roll, stringing together seven straight scoreless outings and posting a 2.43 ERA over 29.2 innings across his past 30 appearances.

Soderstrom went 4-for-4 with a double, a walk and a run scored in Thursday's 8-3 win over the Twins.

Soderstrom reached base in all five of his plate appearances Thursday, though he didn't record an RBI. The 23-year-old has delivered exactly the kind of third-year breakout the Athletics were hoping for, slashing .273/.347/.483 with an .830 OPS, 25 doubles, 23 homers and 74 RBI across 128 games.

Lowe went 1-for-5 with a stolen base in Thursday's 7-4 loss to the Cardinals.

Lowe has gone 1-for-8 with a walk and five strikeouts over two games since returning from right oblique tightness. He wasn't hitting all that well prior to the injury, batting just .154 (6-for-39) over the 11 games before he stepped out of the lineup for a few days. The outfielder has offered mediocre category coverage this year, posting 13 steals, seven home runs, 29 RBI, 40 runs scored and a .226/.293/.362 slash line over 78 contests.

Sanchez cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Worcester on Thursday.

Sanchez lost his roster spot Monday and went unclaimed on waivers. He'll likely spend the rest of the season with Worcester, though he could be a depth option for the big-league club.

Boyle (1-3) allowed six runs (five earned) on nine hits and three walks while striking out five over four innings to take the loss versus the Cardinals on Thursday.

The one bright spot was that he kept the ball in the yard for just the second time in his last six outings. Boyle has allowed at least six runs three times in that span, and he's also issued three or more walks in three of those starts. For the season, the 26-year-old is at a disappointing 5.40 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and 39:21 K:BB through 36.2 innings over 10 appearances (six starts). Boyle is tentatively projected to make his next start at Cleveland.